GUIDE How to Fix Reboot Loop when installing or Updating to macOS Sonoma 14.4 and Later

How to Fix Reboot Loop when installing or Updating to macOS Sonoma 14.4 and Later​

This guide covers fixing the reboot loop when performing a clean installation of macOS Sonoma 14.4 or updating an existing version of macOS to macOS Sonoma 14.4. By following this guide, you'll be able to do a clean install and/or update to macOS Sonoma 14.4 successfully on your non-Apple computer.

Overview​

macOS Sonoma is the current and latest macOS version from Apple for their Mac lineup. Recently, Apple announced macOS Sonoma 14.4 (23E214) which has major changes and with this update, a lot of things have been changed. Once again, the WiFi stacks are changed which has brought a new issue on Legacy Macs as well as non-Apple computers.

A major issue has been seen with this update. If you have ever attempted to clean install or update to macOS Sonoma 14.4, you might have noticed that once the second stage of the installation and/or update finishes, the system enters the boot loop state and if you are updating it to macOS Sonoma 14.4 instead of a clean install, you'll notice that the macOS does not get updated to 14.4 but the system remains still to 14.3 or the existing version and the macOS Installer Volume is still present. This is because the update package was fully not processed by the system.

This does not seem to be a potential bug but a new must-have requirement and a lot of non-Apple users are impacted due to this major update release. Luckily, there is a fix for it and that is too easy. Whether you're doing a clean install or updating to macOS Sonoma 14.4, the fix is universal and involves the same procedure for both cases. In addition, the fix works for both, i.e. Clover and OpenCore as Clover also uses OpenCore as a boot medium.

The guide is tested and reported to be working on macOS Sequoia as well.

To fix the issue, follow the steps below:

1. Ensure you're running the latest OpenCore 0.9.9 and the related kexts are up to date. See Updating OpenCore and Kexts for more information.
2. Mount your ESP.
3. Open your config.plist using any XML editor from the EFI/OC directory.
4. Set the SecureBootModel to Disabled instead of Default under the Misc>Security section of your config.plist.
5. Save your config.plist.
6. Restart your system for the applied changes to take effect. It is recommended to reset NVRAM twice at least.

Now you can continue with the installation and if you're updating to macOS Sonoma 14.4, you can continue with the update.

 

[EliteMacx86]

Found this thread when I ran into the same problem while clean-installing Tahoe. I previously had my SecureBootModel set to j214k which worked for me on Sonoma. After changing it to Disabled, I was able to finish the install and I can get to the desktop now.

Am I able to change SecureBootModel back to j214k now that my install is complete or will it stop booting again? If not, what is the alternative to keeping it disabled?

Thanks.

You can keep it Disabled. Never tried to change it back and see if it boots to the installed disk. You can try and report.